Gen-Z Ditches 11-Hour Smartphone Habits for Flip Phones in Digital Detox
Updated
Updated · South West Londoner · Jul 7
Gen-Z Ditches 11-Hour Smartphone Habits for Flip Phones in Digital Detox
3 articles · Updated · South West Londoner · Jul 7
Summary
Young people are swapping iPhones for flip phones and dumb phones as a digital-detox trend aimed at curbing smartphone addiction and constant distraction.
11 to 12 hours of daily screen time, cited by 17-year-old Presley Esquivel before she switched, illustrates how far Gen-Z use can exceed the roughly two-hour ideal cited by psychologist Aric Sigman.
Users say the simpler devices reduce compulsive checking because limited features and slower loading make endless scrolling less rewarding, while also pushing them toward calls and more deliberate messaging.
Sigman said studies show young people who disconnect from the internet for weeks often become calmer, happier and more attentive, as concern grows over rising discretionary screen time and weaker face-to-face connection.